Malicious Code Injection in ita-6 Package: npm Vulnerability Overview
Summary
MAL-2025-156969: Malicious code in ita-6 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The ita-6 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, often with randomized names. Its functionality is primarily aimed at inflating developer reputation scores for token rewards, but it has been compromised to include malicious scripts.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the ita-6 package stems from its inclusion in a malicious campaign that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior leads to the continuous republishing of variants, which pollutes the npm registry and can potentially harm developers by inflating their package counts with unwanted or harmful packages. The malicious payload is executed through scripts such as auto.js and autopublish.js, which are designed to automate these processes.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall ita-6If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can remove the ita-6 package from your project by executing the following command in your terminal: npm uninstall ita-6. This will prevent any malicious scripts from executing in your application.
Conclusion
The ita-6 package has been identified as a vector for malicious code injection, leading to significant risks for developers using it. Immediate action is required to remove the package and monitor for further vulnerabilities. Utilizing tools like Vulert can enhance your security posture by providing real-time alerts for open-source vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for ita-6 →
FAQ
The ita-6 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is involved in the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which aims to inflate developer reputation scores.
The vulnerability allows malicious scripts to modify your package.json file and republish unwanted packages, potentially harming your project's integrity and reputation.
You should uninstall the ita-6 package immediately and monitor your project for any other vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just your package-lock.json.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
